What Happens When a Bird’s Wings Sync Up Perfectly with a Camera’s Frame Rate

Sometimes security cameras can take some strange footage, and Texan Al Brooks was in for a treat when he reviewed video from outside his home. As a bird flies by the camera, it looks to almost be floating while pausing for a moment to take in the scenery.

This isn’t the work of a video effects artist; it’s actually a visual phenomenon known as a stroboscopic effect. By chance, the bird’s wings were beating at the same rate as the frame rate of the camera, making it appear as though the wings were still. It’s the same effect you are looking at if you see a video where a helicopter’s propellers or a car’s wheels look frozen, even though they’re actually in motion.

Watch what happens when a camera’s frame rate perfectly syncs up with flapping bird wings: